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“I brought you some water,” I quickly flustered, taking two steps before my footing gave way and slipped. I bounced down the next two. I landed on my ass in the snow, a big rush of air escaping me.
“Cassidy!” Eric was by my side in a few strides, his eyes scanning over me to make sure I was okay.
The glass of water had spilt all over my hand, and my ass was sore but other than that, nothing but embarrassment. I nervously laughed before quickly finding it pretty hilarious. Quite literally, the universe had knocked me on my ass for being such a pervert.
I wiped away the tears from my eyes, noticing the slight twitch at the edge of Eric’s mouth. Was he smiling?
“I was meant to bring you water but…” We both peered at the mouthful that was left.
Gratefully, he took it out of my hand and drank the remains. Up close, I was even more aware of how tightly his shirt clung to him. Small beads of sweat in his hair and on his face. It was disgusting how much he sweated, and yet oddly… arousing.
A panic ran over me. No, no, no. I was celibate. And I should not be ogling the man who was showing me kindness and offering me a place to stay while I was stranded in some small random town.
I tried to find conversation, my mouth opening and closing, and then I froze. We both watched Shadow strut past with a thick piece of bleeding steak in his mouth. Our heads inched closer together as he moved closer to the trees and started gnawing on it.
“Was that a piece of steak?” Eric asked casually.
I gulped, conscious of his arm that was still resting on my elbow. Was he even aware that he was stroking his thumb back and forth over it? And that created far too many butterflies.
“Um… well I was going to attempt to cook it for you and I left it on the bench to bring you some water… sorry.”
Again, Eric’s mouth twitched. “He’d never be so daring as to steal that with me.”
Sheepishly I said, “But you look more scarier than me.”
“True,” he said as he helped me to my feet. We stared at one another, a tension twisting between us. His gaze dipped to my lips and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. He cleared his throat, pulling away. It felt as if a cool air swept between us and that warm fluttering energy between us was severed. I dusted myself off, focusing on the pounding ache on my ass. That was definitely going to bruise tomorrow.
“No point in taking it off him now,” Eric mused. Shadow had already demolished half the steak. “And you don’t have to cook me meat, Cassidy, I look forward to whatever it is you’re making.”
A heat rose to my cheeks. “You say that before trying it.”
“Call it intuition,” he mused, grabbing my hand and gently putting the empty glass into it. “And thank you for this. I’ll be done in about twenty minutes.”
I nodded, trying to push away the heat that flooded me. Maybe it was from the red wine making me slightly tipsy, or was it the realization that Eric was a nice guy? And I tried to recall how long it’d been since I’d met one of those. I mean, hadn’t I been questioning why I’d only been attracting time wasters and unfaithful fiends? Was that because they all lived in Manhattan or because they’d all been around my age?
But I’d had friends who’d found love with incredible men. And what I’d concluded was there must’ve been something wrong with me. Those few insecurities bubbled to the surface again and I tried to push them down. I almost felt guilty for ogling Eric; he was a nice guy. And I… I didn’t attract the nice ones… ever. I had no right to look at him that way and it was inappropriate. Wasn’t it?
Chapter 10
Eric
The moment Cassidy had slipped down those stairs, my heart dropped and my body acted of its own accord. I’d thrown the axe into the snow and was on my knees beside her in seconds. When she began laughing, a wave of relief—and humor—swept through me. Alongside slight confusion. I didn’t warm to many people, and yet I found myself worried for her safety. Maybe it’s because she looked so misplaced and vulnerable here, like some bizarre natural instinct.
Then when Shadow had strutted past with that piece of steak hanging out of his mouth, I’d realized how much my world had turned upside down housing this strange bubbly brat.
A brat, that’s what I’d saw her as. But when she looked at me with those big blue sparkling eyes, something primal yanked at me. Probably seeking a woman’s touch. And I had to remind myself she was completely off-limits even after I had multiple filthy thoughts of her. She was way too young for me and I was hindered by the thoughts of getting close to any other woman again. Especially since the last one cost me everything. I’d promised I’d never allow myself into a woman’s web again. Sexual partners, no problem. There were clear rules and expectations. But with Cassidy… it was different. There was something homely about her, and the way Shadow took to her irked me because it was something I couldn’t entirely understand myself.
But the moment she began laughing again, that flutter of heartfelt joy and amusement eliminated all the tension and worries I’d been carrying throughout the day. I wondered how many people she touched in this way and if she was even aware she had such a charm about her.
I piled away the wood, grateful for the depletion of my energy. I’d felt on edge around Cassidy and needed something to exhaust the jittery nerves. And I wasn’t sure if it was because of Lori and Thomas’s meddling ways or if having Cassidy in my personal space was effecting me unreasonably. But after the physical exertion of chopping wood, I found myself steady and in control once again.
Stepping into the cabin, it felt like a sauna thanks to the fireplace. I’d noticed Cassidy felt the cold easily, probably because she wasn’t used to the temperature dropping this low, so I’d made a point to set up the fireplace whenever we returned.
An outlandish form of music filtered through the cabin as I walked into the kitchen. Cassidy was swaying from side to side with Shadow standing against her, like some fill-in dancing partner. I leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom, watching them thoughtfully. Part of me didn’t want Shadow learning bad habits, and yet another side of me… found it peculiar to watch.
With one hand, she reached back for her glass of red wine and took a sip, still swaying flawlessly to the beat with Shadow, tongue hanging out of his mouth, quite literally looking like a lovestruck puppy.
I cleared my throat. “Oh shit,” she cursed, startled and gently pushed Shadow off as if she’d been caught in the act. My smile twitched. “Dinner won’t be too long.” She avoided my gaze, either from embarrassment from earlier on or something else entirely. She didn’t seem injured by the fall but that could’ve been the liquid courage filling her.
